Davis Profile

CHARLES E. (BUDDY) DAVIS AND FAMILY

Charles E. (Buddy) Davis graduated from Auburn in 1959 and played a pivotal role in the aerospace industry as the country embarked upon its quest to put a man on the moon. He began his career with a field assignment at Vandenberg Air Force Base launching Thor ICBM rockets, which would form the genesis of the Delta program. The most successful rocket in commercial history, the Delta was launched at a rate of one per month for more than four decades and continues in service today.

His work in advanced design with the Apollo spacecraft program led to a method for assembling and moving the Apollo rocket to the launch pad. These facilities - the massive vertical assembly building and the crawler - are still in use today to transport the space shuttle to launch. He also developed the checkout procedure for the incredibly complex Apollo, a project he joined at inception and served for 12 years through Apollo 16. At Vandenberg, Sacramento, Tullahoma and Cape Canaveral, Davis was a team member for a record 600-plus static firings and launches.

His career also included work on the Harpoon missile, the KC-10 aircraft aerial refueling tanker and the mast-mounted visual laser and infrared sensing sight (MMS) for Scout helicopters. Known to the industry's technical insiders as a pioneer in the design, testing and launch of large rockets, he was equally familiar with the corporate boardroom and is regarded as an engineer who could take programs and job sites that had major challenges and turn them around.

At Auburn, he is known for his commitment to the College of Engineering and his leadership gift of $4 million that will benefit generations of Auburn students to come. The Davis family includes wife Charlotte and their three sons: Steve, a 1988 Auburn alumnus in aerospace engineering, and Brian and Neil, who are West Point graduates. A close family, they have supported Buddy throughout his career and join in this significant gift to ensure the future of Auburn Engineering.